The Neighbor
by LunarFoxx
Summary: Ichigo is a grad student with bad luck in relationships. After swearing off all relationships, he meets Grimmjow, an infuriating man whose main goal seems to be to piss him off. With the entrance of Grimm into his boring life comes a whole new world of secrets and crimes that go much deeper than he could ever have imagined. GrimmIchi with side pairings!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: My story is currently unbetaed so there might be a few mistakes here and there. Still trying to figure out formatting.**

Chapter 1 - Moving In

Ichigo sighed as he set the last box down and cursed Rukia for leaving him to do the heavy work. He loved her, truly, but she was a pain in the ass when she wanted to be. He could still picture her smirk as she walked away, telling him that he was lucky that her brother owned the building. Cursing her name, he sighed again. It was thanks to Byakuya, her brother, that he was able to get a place on his own to begin with. As he and Rukia were friends for as long as they could remember, they were practically family, thus Byakuya treated him like his little brother and allowed him to have the loft for cheap, much cheaper than it would have been for someone else.

At the time, he was between jobs, fresh out of designing school. He was smart, don't get him wrong, but there's only so much that could be earned through freelance projects. If it were up to him, he would have stayed at the previous apartment near school but he had horrible luck with men. His ex, Shuuhei, was nothing but bad news.

At first Ichigo was happy with the older man. A few years older with a stable job at the time, Shuuhei seemed like the perfect man. He worked at the bookstore a few blocks away from Ichigo's college and had met him while Ichigo was looking for a required book for one of his classes. Bit by bit, Shuuhei had coaxed him out of his shell and a few months later, they began to date. A few months later, they decided to move in together and Ichigo was happy but then one day Shuuhei lost his job and that's where it all went downhill. At first little things, he would say things like "it's only temporary, I have a friend who is going to hire me", but then things began to go missing here and there. Ichigo was confused but he wrote it off as just his clumsiness but then bigger things began to go missing like his watch. This lead to the first big fight between him and Shuuhei, who would deny over and over again that he had touched it, even accusing Ichigo of mishandling it himself. It got to the point where Ichigo began to doubt his own sanity, maybe he really had misplaced it, but it was a gift from his late mother and he always kept an eye on it. He really did love Shuuhei or so he thought so he decided to drop the matter. After a few months of supporting his jobless boyfriend however, he was frustrated and decided that enough was enough and began hinting that he should try and apply for more jobs instead of moping around at home.  
Shuuhei didn't take this well however, and began drinking more and more excessively, even coming back in the early hours of the morning reeking of alcohol and something else that Ichigo couldn't place. It wasn't until a few weeks later that he'd realized what he smelled like: sex and cheap perfume.

His brother Shiro had been in town visiting him over the weekend and had decided to check out the nightlife, dragging a protesting Ichigo with him when they found Shuuhei in an alleyway hip deep in a voluptuous woman with bright orange hair. He hadn't known it was him at first but he moved just enough into the light that his face tattoo was recognizable. Ichigo gasped and as if he'd heard him, Shuuhei turned his head and made eye contact with him. Ichigo blanched as his brother asked him if he was alright and began to run. He still remembered the way Shuuhei had responded when he confronted him the next day, talking as if it was Ichigo's fault for not "putting out", as he had eloquently put it, and that it was "completely normal" for him to go find other ways to release his sexual desires because of that. After that, Ichigo saw red. Eyes stinging with angry tears, he grabbed his most important items and left to Rukia's place after shouting that they were over. After that, he got Rukia to grab the rest of his important things, swore off dating and any of that lovey-dovey crap, and threw himself fully into his studies, graduating a few months later at the top of his class but with a hole in his heart. He was shaken out of his bitter musings by a loud knocking on his door.  
"Ichi, I swear to God, if you don't open up this door I'll get Byakuya to give me a spare key so I can enter whenever I want to. I don't care if I'm interrupting your stupid monologue or something, you know I'm serious!"  
He heard a thump as she presumably kicked the door and dashed to open it. No need to have to explain to Byakuya why the door was dented.  
"Damn it, Rukia, I was just unpacking my things, no thanks to you!"

She smirked and replied, "You sure you weren't just dreaming about a new boo? I've seen some pretty attractive guys in this building you know, and they're rich, if you're into that." she winked.

He sputtered and glared at her, "Rukia, you know full well that I-".  
She interrupted waving her hand around, "Yeah yeah, I know. But don't you think it's time to look for a new man? You're young, you're intelligent. You and I both know you're quite the catch, or do you want me to set you up with Byakuya?" as she waggled her eyebrows at him. He snorted and replied, "Hell no, you know he has the hots for Renji, he just hasn't come to terms with it yet. Besides, that'd be like, incest! No way. Anyways, what did you come over for?"

She smiled and retorted, "Well I knew you would probably be thinking depressing thoughts and I wanted to make sure everything is ok with the place." She leaned forward and whispered, "And I also wanted to 'accidentally' bump into that cutie who lives in this hall. He's really hot you know, like supermodel hot." Ichigo rolled his eyes at her but he laughed all the same.

"Rukia, you say that a lot. I'm beginning to doubt your taste in men." She scowled and punched him in the arm.  
"Shut it! Anyways, the gang is thinking of heading to Las Noches tonight to celebrate your new place. New place, new you, am I right? And before you say no, Hime and Ishida are going to be there tonight. They just got back from their trip and they're excited to see you again!"  
"Augh, fine, you mean she's excited. I'll go tonight if you leave. When are you guys meeting up?"  
"I'll be here to pick you up at 7 so be ready! Maybe you'll finally meet your Prince Charming, or at least get laid! Heaven knows you need it, you prude. Love you, Ichi!", she shouted as she blew a kiss and walked away laughing. He scowled at her for shouting the last part, hoping none of his neighbors heard it. Just his luck however, the resident at the end of the hall was at his door, kissing a beautiful woman with seafoam hair on the cheek. True to his namesake, he blushed bright red when he made eye contact with him and slammed the door as quickly as possible.

* * *

"Grimmy, who was that?" the curvaceous woman asked, looking at the recently closed door with curiosity.  
"Dunno, probably the new resident", he responded with a lick to his lips.

"Oh no, Grimmy, I know that look. Don't you go dare go around breaking hearts."

"I know, I know. No promises though. What do you say we hit up Las Noches tonight though, Nelly?" She laughed and slapped his bare chest lightly, "Sure why not, I think Ulqui is working tonight!"

* * *

Ichigo leaned against the door with a wheeze. As much as he hated to admit it, Rukia was right, there really were attractive people living here. As soon as he had made eye contact with the man, his heart began racing. He couldn't see too clearly from where he stood but he could tell that the man's hair was a haphazard cotton-candy blue mess that screamed sex. Offhandedly, he licked his lips as he recalled how the man was shirtless and only had on a pair of ripped jeans. Ichigo scowled. That woman was probably his girlfriend. He was gay but it didn't mean he couldn't recognize hot women. He sighed for what seemed to be the millionth time that day and sunk down to sit and ran his hands through his hair.

'Okay Ichigo, you swore off dating and all that remember? Besides it's not like you even have a chance. Someone that hot is definitely not single, even more unlikely that he's not straight. Don't even think about it.' He got up with a grunt and frowned at the clock. He had a ton of unpacking to do but he wouldn't be able to do much before Rukia was back to pick him up so he decided to just get dressed nice for the club and deal with the rest later.

"Come on, Ichi, loosen up will you?" Rukia shouted over the music, "it's not often that we get the entire gang together. Everyone's always so busy!" Ichigo grunted as he nursed a glass of whatever Rukia had gotten him, a blue motherfucker or something like that. He rolled his eyes as he took another swig of his drink. Whatever it was, it was pretty strong and he was on his way to being pleasantly buzzed, which he definitely needed if he was going to deal with his friends. Like Rukia, they all thought that Ichigo needed to open up a little and rejoin the dating scene. He gazed fondly around the table just enjoying the presence of his friends. Rukia was right, he really did miss the crew. Chad was quiet as usual, offering affirmative grunts every once in awhile as Rukia chattered away with him and Renji. The brash redhead was laughing loudly as he took another swig of beer. Ichigo snorted to himself. Even though he wasn't paying attention to their conversation, he could tell that Rukia was grilling him about his love life. He turned as he heard his name shouted, preparing himself mentally for the knuckle rubbing from Tatsuki. She was his childhood rival and friend and had been with him for just as long as Rukia and Chad. He pretended to scowl as he ducked to avoid her swipe and instead stood up to hug her.  
"Tatsuki!"  
"Hey there, you mopey strawberry", she laughed as he scowled, then turned to embrace Orihime who had just arrived with Ishida and nodded at the man in acknowledgement. As his friends began to migrate to the dancefloor or shifted seats to chat, he moved to the bar to get another drink. He sat alone feeling pleasantly buzzed, waiting for the sleepy-eyed bartender to make his drink. Unbeknownst to him, two sets of eyes watched him as he sat alone.

* * *

Like a predator, Grimmjow began to stalk towards the redhead from across the room, shrugging off the dancers pawing at him thinking they had a sliver of chance with him but before he had fought halfway through the men and women, a man with even brighter red hair slung his arm around his prey, causing him to snarl and startle the club goers into giving him a wide berth. He narrowed his eyes as the man known as 'Ichi' laughed. Grimmjow advanced again but was interrupted yet again as a man with dark purple hair yanked 'Ichi' out of the embrace of the redhead.

* * *

Ichigo was startled by Renji when he put his arm around his shoulders but he quickly relaxed once he realized it was him. *Renji was his old roommate from when he was dorming on campus and they'd gotten along quickly with a friendly rivalry. Ichigo was the one who unintentionally introduced Byakuya to Renji when Rukia had stopped by with her brother for a visit. Renji was infatuated at first sight and from then on had dedicated his free time to trying to get closer to the man whose gaze sliced like cold steel. As they bantered back and forth, Ichigo was jerked roughly away from Renji and nearly fell. If it weren't for his fast reflexes, he would definitely have fallen. With a begrudging mental thanks to his father, he turned with a glare to shout at whoever it was that had touched him when his heart dropped.

"What are you doing here, Shuuhei, I told you we were done."

"Hey baby, you're still looking fine as ever."

"What the fuck, you're drunk. I told you not to contact me. What are you even doing here?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he noticed a certain orange haired woman standing nearby. He vaguely recalled her as the woman he had cheated on him with. One of several, to be exact.  
Shuuhei swayed and rolled his eyes, "Look, I miss you ok? I even have the watch you lost." He groped at his pockets before finding it and showing it to Ichigo. "I'll give it back to you if you give me a kiss" he leered.  
"Shuuhei, we're done. I'm not going to give you a kiss, just give the watch back!" Ichigo shouted. Grimmjow was a few feet away as he watched the exchange. Clearly something was up so he began speeding up his stride. Shuuhei grabbed Ichigo by the arms and forcibly tried to kiss him while Ichigo tried to push him away. Furious that he was clearly unwelcome, Grimmjow was about to grab the man, Shuuhei, if he heard correctly, when the redhead intervened.  
"Shuuhei, back off right now before I call security. Hand over the watch and leave. You aren't welcome here", he snarled as he reached for the watch.  
"NO, I told you. If you want this watch back, you have to come back, or else I'll pawn it. I'll do it, you know I wi-". He was interrupted by Ichigo's fist in his face. A sickening crunch was heard as his nose crumpled under the force. "Fugg you, Ichi! You're noh gedding this watch back. You're going to regreh thah!" he barked as he ran off clutching both hands to his bleeding nose. Grimmjow stood awestruck at the furious redhead. In that moment, he felt like he had fallen hard for Ichigo. The way his eyes lit up with fury made it look like his eyes were glowing gold. Before he could approach the man however, Ichigo took the proffered shots from the other redhead and downed them like a man stranded in the Sahara and left without a word leaving the redhead to gaze at his back with an emotion Grimmjow couldn't place. He looked scrutinizingly at the man before turning to find his cousin Nel who was probably by the DJ booth, chatting with Ulquiorra.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ichigo woke up with a jolt to the sound of knocking on his door. He groaned and clutched his head. "Alright, alright, stop banging on the door, I'm coming!" he shouted, "Damn it, Rukia can't this wait-" he trailed off as he opened the door to see a muscular sculpted chest clad in a sinfully tight shirt. His eyes slowly trailed up to meet the eyes of his neighbor from down the hall. Suddenly his entire face erupted in a fiery blush.  
"Ichigo, was it?" his sinful neighbor asked.  
"W-wha- oh yeah. Kurosaki Ichigo, nice to meet you." he sputtered after seconds of silence.

"Like the strawberry?" he chuckled.  
"No, you asshole, it means 'to protect'! The hell do you want anyways?" Ichigo retorted. 'Great, way to go. Call the blue hair adonis an asshole. Nice going, Ichi.'

"Whatever you say, berry. Name's Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, by the way." Grimmjow shifted from leaning on the doorway to offer his hand to Ichigo. It took him a few seconds to notice because he was staring at Grimmjow's eyes like a deer caught in the headlights. Ichigo took the proffered hand and intended to shake it but Grimmjow had other plans. Instead, he lifted his hand to kiss it without breaking eye contact but Ichigo yanked his hand back before he could do so.

"What the hell are you doing?" he scowled red as a strawberry as Grimmjow cackled. He decided in the back of his mind that he liked the rich timber of his laugh.

"Just trying to be a gentleman," he smirked. Ichigo growled and slammed the door in his face. Great. Just his luck that he'd become infatuated with an ass.

* * *

Grimmjow blinked as the door slammed inches from his face. He wasn't expecting Ichigo to throw himself at him like all the other people normally did but he was definitely not expecting to get the door slammed in his face like that. A wolfish grin crept on his face as he sauntered off. He was definitely going to enjoy the chase with this berry.

* * *

Rukia and Ichigo sat at the small island in the kitchen sipping drinks as they bantered."I'm sorry about what happened last night, Ichi. I didn't expect Shuuhei to be there, I thought he moved a while ago."

"It's alright, Ruki, I know you didn't mean for this to happen." He rubbed his temples, "it was nice seeing everyone again at least. It didn't seem like Ishida was very happy to see me though." He smiled mirthlessly. For some reason, Ishida had always been aloof, thinking that Ichigo was somehow his competition for everything from the top ranking in grade school to love interests, which was strange seeing how Ichigo had turned down each and every confession, including the one from Orihime. Luckily, that rejection hadn't destroyed his friendships. Instead, Orihime had easily gotten over the rejection and they settled into a brother-sister relationship. He suspected that Ishida had a crush on Orihime and had never really gotten over it, which could easily explain the unspoken tension but whenever he mentioned it to Rukia, she'd just give him a smirk and shrug. He was startled from his line of thought when Rukia kicked his shin.

"Hello? Earth to Ichigo, are you even listening to me?"  
He yelped in pain as he grabbed his shin, "Fuck, Rukia, that hurt! Did you have to kick me that hard?"  
"Well I did call your name a few times before that. Had to take drastic measures to get through that thick skull of yours. Anyways, what was so important about that watch? I don't think you've ever told me."  
He groaned and rubbed his eyes with his palms, stopping when she lightly slapped his hands away, "It was my mom's. It was what they found on her at the scene." He huffed and started rubbing his eyes again.  
"Oh Ichi, I'm so sorry." Her gaze softened and opened her mouth when a knock interrupted. She went to get the door.  
"Hi, I live next door and I heard a yell, is everything okay?" Ichigo looked up to see a man with raven black hair and emerald green eyes.  
"I uh-yeah, my friend just stubbed his toe!" Rukia exclaimed.  
"Ah I see", he laughed, "My name is Kaien, Kaien Shiba."  
"My name is Rukia, Rukia Kuchiki!"  
"Kuchiki like Byakuya? Oh is he your husband?"  
She seized up and began laughing hysterically, "no no no, he's my brother! My brother owns this complex."  
He blushed lightly and chuckled, then looked at her straight in the eyes, "Well that's good to know, it'd be a shame to hear that a gorgeous lady like you were married." He winked, then turned, "Welp, I have some business to attend so hopefully I'll see you around." Rukia whispered bye and closed the door with a sigh.  
"Don't. Say. Anything." She glared at Ichigo as he tried to hold in his mirth. "Anyways, what about you? Did you see the hot model guy I mentioned last time?" He flushed deeply and scowled turning away from her.  
"N-no, I didn't. And if you mean the guy down the hall, he's an asshole. A complete asshole." Rukia lifted a slim eyebrow and crossed her arms.  
"So you don't deny that he's hot. I knew it! I called it!" She cheered and suddenly stopped. "So are you going to try? Who knows, maybe he's the one." Ichigo sighed and shook his head. "Rukia no, I've already told you no and I mean it. Now can you help me unpack? You're the reason I have a hangover in the first place and you promised to help.  
"Fine, fine. But I'm not leaving this alone", she stated, smirking slyly as she began to scheme.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Grimmy!" Nel shouted from outside as she pounded on the door, "Let me in already, I'm boooooored! I know it's your day off, get your ass up! You promised we'd go on a date today!" Grimmjow moaned, angry that he forgot that he agreed to take Neliel out to go shopping and eat. Cursing himself, he blinked groggily at the alarm clock and rolled out of bed with a thump to get the door. Living in a studio had its perks but one of the downsides of this particular residence was that there weren't any separate rooms aside from the bathroom so he couldn't lock himself inside his room.

He opened the door to see Nel's expectant smile and coffee. He squinted at her as he scratched his chest, then asked, "Is that for me?" His focus shifted to the scowling redhead leaving his place with a really short black hair girl. Ah, damn. There went his plans to go harass Ichigo. His eyes rolled back to his hyperactive cousin, only half listening to her babbling.

"Yepyep! Just the way you like it, milk and extra sugar! I don't know how you don't get fat off of this stuff though, Grimmy. Is that a tummy I see?" She poked at his stomach and giggled as he swatted her hand away and grabbed the warm cup. "Sooo, get ready, you promised we'd go shopping! You're my bag bitch for the day!" she squealed, pushing him into his home.

* * *

Ichigo scowled as he shut the door. Rukia had decided to make it her duty to help him choose new clothing and wouldn't leave him alone until he agreed. On his way out, he heard the the woman from two days prior shouting outside Grimmjow's door to let her in. He rolled his eyes as he dragged Rukia away to the elevator, her eyes blinking owlishly at the woman's back.

"I wonder who that was," she murmured thoughtfully once the doors closed. He grunted and responded monotonously, "Probably his girlfriend, who knows?"

She eyed Ichigo coyishly, "How can you be sure? Maybe she's like, family or something. They have crazy hair colors so maybe they're related."  
"You heard her, she said 'date'. Besides I doubt someone like him would be single or even loyal. I bet he has a harem of girls or something." He snorted and stared at a small dent in the elevator panel. "Just leave it, Rukia. He's probably straight, there's no point.

* * *

Grimmjow groaned as Nel dragged him into another store. His feet were tired from walking all day and as much as he hated to admit it, his arms were getting tired.

"Nel, you have enough clothing already, and you just bought more. What the Hell are you going to buy now?"

"Shush, Grimmy! This time we're buying clothes for you! You keep wearing those gross outfits that make you look like yakuza, which by the way is really ironic. You need new clothes!" She dragged him to the men's section and began throwing clothes over her arm, then paused. "Hey Grimm, isn't that your cute neighbor over there?" She gestured with her head at Ichigo who seemed to be arguing with his short companion. He raised a perfectly arched brow and slowly began to grin. The hunt was on.

* * *

Ichigo threw his head back and griped, "Rukia, I don't need this many new clothes! I already have enough. Don't you think this is excess-", he was suddenly cut off by the shirt Rukia threw on his face.

"No, your shirts have holes in them, that means it's time to throw them out. Besides, these shirts are cool, they're stylish! Don't you want to look nice for your new beau?" She winked at him and pushed him to the changing room, yelling at him that he'd better come out after so she could look.

Inside the dressing room, he sighed and picked up the pair of jeans. As much as he hated to admit it, Rukia was right as usual. During his last year of college, he was too busy focusing on school to care about what he was wearing and he really did need new clothing. He changed into the jeans and shirt and walked out to show Rukia.  
"Hmm, I think it's too loose, you need a smaller size. Take it off and I'll go grab you a smaller pair. Same for the shirt." she gestured impatiently. He rolled his eyes, drew the curtain shut and handed the clothes to Rukia. He stared at himself in the mirror and pinched at his stomach. He didn't really notice how he'd lost weight and muscle, maybe he really had been focusing too much on school. Ichigo peeped his head out when he heard Rukia shout for him to take the clothes and grabbed them. His mind began to wander as he eyed the blue panther on the shirt. For some reason it reminded him of Grimmjow, he thought offhandedly and began changing into the pants when Rukia suddenly yanked the curtain open and told him he was taking too long. Shocked and in the process of sticking his leg into the leg of his pants, he screeched and tripped while trying to yank the curtain closed.

Grimmjow sauntered over to the dressing room hoping to get a glimpse of his Berry later. He dejectedly sighed as he resigned himself to the fate of trying on clothes when he heard a yelp that sounded suspiciously like Ichigo and stopped dead in his tracks when the very man that he had been thinking of fell out of the adjacent dressing room. Shock faded quickly replaced by mirth. He began laughing, a small chuckle that built up into a cackle as he spotted the strawberry briefs. He squatted down to ask Ichigo if he needed help getting up but before he could speak, Ichigo shot up and subsequently slammed his head into Grimmjow's.

Ichigo's ears burned with embarrassment as someone who sounded suspiciously like Grimmjow laughed. Swearing in his head, he got up as quickly as possible so he could retreat to the dressing room, he hit his head on something hard. Dazed, he shook his head and yelped when he came face to face with a very disgruntled Grimmjow.  
"Shit I'm so sorry, are you okay?! Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck, I'm so sorry is your head okay?" he rambled as tried to look anywhere but at Grimmjow. Grimmjow stared at him with narrowed eyes as Rukia gawked wide eyed from the sidelines.  
"Yeah I've had worse, but damn, your head is hard as a rock, Berry. Do you have a titanium skull or something?" he snorted as he rubbed his cheek. Briefly, he filed a mental note to ice his cheek later. "Are you fine though? That was quite a hit."  
"Uh yeah-I'm fine, I've had worse too", Ichigo rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "I'm really sorry though, oh my god. Is there anything I can get you or something to make up for it?"  
"Yeah, there is something actually….", he trailed off, looking at Ichigo who gazed back expectantly. "You can go on a date with me."  
Ichigo squawked and sputtered, "what-wait-what no I didn't mean that-" but before he could fully reject him, Rukia finally gathered her wits and shouted, "He says yes!" and dragged him away while he yelled no, absolutely no.

Neliel walked over, curiously eyeing the two walking away. "What happened, Grimm? I heard a commotion but I was trying to fight off some old lady for a pair of shoes. The nerve of her! I already put my hands on the box and that old bat tried to take them from me!" She continued babbling as Grimmjow tuned her out. He was used to her rambling and had gotten really good at giving affirmative and negative grunts when necessary, or short vague answers, chuckling quietly when Ichigo ducked and came back to the dressing room to change back to his clothes.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he didn't hear Nel's babbling anymore and realized that Ichigo was standing right in front of him. Clearing his throat, Ichigo quickly spoke, "Just for the record, I didn't say yes, there is NO way I'll say yes so don't even think about it", then he dashed off flustered.  
"What was that about, Grimmy?" she gawped at Grimmjow.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After the embarrassing run-in with Grimmjow, Ichigo persuaded Rukia to head straight home. He'd had enough adventures for a day, for a month even. He'd already purchased groceries earlier that morning luckily so he didn't have any reason to go out for a while. Anything was better than coming face to face with his neighbor so soon after what had happened. He began unpacking the few boxes left and inhaled happily as he began going through the box of trinkets and gifts from family and friends that had accumulated throughout the years. The photo of him with his mom would go by the bedside, he decided.

* * *

Grimmjow rolled his shoulders back and forth. He'd updated Nel on what had happened over dinner and covered his ears as she began chattering in excitement about his new interest then warned him not to mess up. He was back home now and preparing for his night shift. Nel would be satisfied for a week or two after their meetup and she knew when to leave him alone. He finished fastening his belt and slipped his cap over his head, the hairs falling haphazardly to frame his face. As was tradition, he whispered a quick prayer and tucked his necklace under his uniform, praying for quiet weekend but he doubted it. The weekend was never calm.

* * *

Ichigo tossed and turned restlessly in his bed, feeling like something wasn't right. Ever since he was a kid, he'd have these moments where something didn't feel right and he'd learned to trust that gut feeling. It had definitely gotten him out of sticky situations before so he got out of bed and decided to check his phone when he heard the rattling of his main door from where he stood in the kitchen. While most of the places in the complex had a single open living space, Ichigo's had a bedroom sectioned off from the main living space. He held his breath as the main door slammed open and gasped when he heard Shuuhei drunkenly shout for Ichigo to come out, waving a gun in his hand. Heart racing, he ran to his bedroom door and shakily dialed 9-1-1 as he barricaded the door with furniture.

* * *

Grimmjow barely got to his car when he was alerted that there was a report for a crime happening in his building. He groaned as he began to listen, thinking that it was probably one of the older tenants trying to get someone evicted for being too loud when his heart dropped as the operator rattled off the coordinates. That was Ichigo's place! Shit! He scrambled out of his car and fumbled with the key card to get in, fumbling and dropping it twice before he finally swiped himself in. The elevator would be too slow, he decided and began running up the stairs, cursing the fact that he had to run up 6 flights of stairs to get to Ichi.

* * *

Ichigo whimpered as Shuuhei began ramming against the door and tried to keep his breathing under control. While he would easily have been able to take Shuuhei down with hand to hand combat, he was deathly afraid of guns. They brought bad memories of his childhood. He shuddered with a sob when Shuuhei burst in brandishing the gun.

* * *

'Shit. Shit. SHIT.' Grimmjow thought as he ran up the stairs, cursing himself for forgetting to double knot his shoes, stumbling once when he reached the floor. He didn't have time to bother with loose shoelaces, for fuck's sake. He didn't know why he cared so much for the redhead but there wasn't time to bother thinking about that either. He dashed to Ichigo's dwelling, briefly noting the forced lock. Announcing himself, he stormed in and checked the area. He paused when he heard shouting from inside the bedroom, inhaling sharply when he saw Ichigo naked held down at gunpoint by another man.

"FREEZE! Put the gun down and let him go!" Grimmjow barked, not letting his eyes leave the perpetrator for a second. His heart wrenched at the sight of Ichigo so exposed in Shuuhei's grip. Shuuhei turned and glared at Grimmjow, then pulled the trigger.

 **[A.N.]: Sorry for the short chapter, I'm currently in the midst of Finals and dying slowly. I have a few short stories I'd like to write in between studying!**


	5. Chapter 5

**[A.N: I'm aliiiiive! I've been busy sewing so I've been neglecting my stories for a bit. This is actually my first time writing fanfic so I'm still trying to get the hang of it. If you guys have advice on how to add line breaks, please let me know, and without further delay, enjoy!]**

Chapter 5

Ichigo's entire body tensed as a shot fired, then another. Disoriented from the ringing in his ear, he went into shock as Grimmjow spat out a curse and shot back, disarming Shuuhei by shooting his shoulder. Dazed, Ichigo shoved his bleeding body off of him and began wheezing as he began having a panic attack. Grimmjow re-holstered his gun and ran to handcuff Shuuhei and call for backup, then grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped Ichigo in it, rubbing his back and getting his attention.  
"Ichigo, look at me, everything is ok. Just breathe. In and out. Deep breaths okay?"  
"Grimm, you're hurt." Ichigo's wide eyes looked at Grimmjow then rolled up as he passed out.

* * *

Grimmjow bit his lip as he used a makeshift bandage to patch up his shoulder while he waited for his partner to arrive. No doubt she'd chew him out for rushing in without her but he was never a cool-headed man. His gaze wandered over to Ichigo who he had laid down. He sat by his elevated feet and stroked his vibrant hair as he slept. Grimmjow was used to situations like this and had already stabilized him by the time his partner announced herself and stepped over to him.  
"Fuck, what happened here, Grimmjow?" Yoruichi exclaimed. "Why is my nephew passed out? How on earth did you get shot? Where's the perp?" At a second glance, she added, "And why is he naked?"

He sighed and pointed at the barely coherent Shuuhei muttering to himself in the corner. "I shot him because he shot me. It's nothing serious, it just grazed my shoulder, no big deal. I made sure to bandage up that fucker too so he wouldn't bleed out but if I had a fucking choice, I'd leave him to bleed out." he spat. "I don't know what else he's on but he's definitely drunk. I can smell the alcohol on his breath but his eyes are dilated." Her sharp eyes didn't miss his fingers combing Ichigo's hair before he stood up with a wince. "We're in for a long night. Gotta bring this fucker to the jail and make sure Ichi's doing ok."

She pushed him back down lightly with a stern look in her eye. "If you think you're going to be on duty tonight with that injury, you're dreaming, buster. Look. I'll take care of bringing him in and you can stay behind and file the incident report and make sure Ichigo's doing fine. You're clearly in no condition to do a full shift and I don't know what's going on between you two but I'm trusting you. The Chief will understand." She nodded once then pulled Shuuhei up and marched him out. She was nearly out the door when it clicked that she had called him her nephew. "Wait did you say nephew?" he shouted incredulously, scowling when she merely looked back and winked. So much for a quiet shift.

* * *

Grimmjow stayed vigilant watching Ichigo sleep fitfully as he filled in the incident report, frowning when he heard the bed shift and Ichigo moaned. Grimmjow adjusted his trousers awkwardly as he continued writing. 'Keep it together, Grimm. He's just been through a traumatizing situation and you're acting like a horny teen.' He yelped and fumbled to catch his notepad when Ichigo suddenly sat up and shrieked.  
"Ichigo! Calm down, you're safe. Shuuhei's been arrested and no one is hurt, I mean, not mortally wounded at least." His eyebrows furrowed as Ichigo didn't seem to focus. Grimmjow leaned over to put his hand on Ichigo's shoulder and recoiled when Ichigo shouted and began to scramble back in a panic. "Ichigo, listen to me, it's Grimmjow. You're safe okay?"

Ichigo's eyes finally focused on him as he whispered, "Grimm? Fuck I was so scared. I was ready to fight him off, I know I could have but when I saw the gun I just shut down. Fuck." He put his shaking hands in his lap. He blushed and pulled the blanket tightly around himself. "Uhmm, Grimmjow, could you hand me some clothes? They're in the cabinet next to you." Grimmjow chuckled and rifled through the drawers looking for clothes, looking away out of courtesy as the other man quickly got dressed.

"So care to explain what happened here?" Grimmjow turned back after clearing his throat. He crossed his arms and stood watching the ever-present scowl on the other man deepen.

Ichigo took a deep breath and exhaled. "Well, the guy who tried to r-rape me, his name is Shuuhei and he's my ex. I broke up with him and left because he was cheating on me and kept trying to force me to have sex with him." He glared down at his lap and continued, "so I moved thinking if I did, I'd be able to get away from the past and move on but I don't know why he's here or who told him where I moved. I saw him at the bar the other day and I punched his stupid face for trying to get me to kiss him." Grimmjow frowned at that, recalling that there had been a wristwatch that came up in their conflict.

"He had a watch right? What was the importance of it?" Grimmjow blurted out before pulling a sour face, realizing that he just basically revealed the fact that he had practically been stalking the other man.

Ichigo looked up at him in surprise, asking him how he knew and receiving nothing in response but obviously avoided eye contact. Eyes narrowed, Ichigo continued, "well the watch was a gift from my mom. She was shot and killed a few years back in a robbery. But the weird part was that they said all of her belongings were intact, nothing was stolen. She was on the way back from buying a present for me when she got mugged. I don't understand why they didn't take anything, they said it looked like she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time or something." He sighed and folded in on himself, hugging his knees to his chest. "I don't know why I'm telling you all of this to be honest. I haven't even told my friends."

Grimmjow didn't know how to respond, there wasn't an easy way to so he stayed silent. Grimmjow looked back and studied the other man for a while, taking in the watery hazel eyes and the messy hair, jolting when his radio blared.  
" _*Bzzt*_ Grimmy, they're calling you in tomorrow morning to report. Get that shoulder checked. I'm signing you out for tonight so get some rest." Grimmjow rolled his unhurt shoulder and sighed, replying back with a quick affirmative then turned his radio off and got ready to leave when Ichigo grabbed his wrist.  
"I know a bit about first aid if you'd like me to check your shoulder. I'm pretty sure most hospitals are too busy and the nearest clinics are closed." Ichigo blushed and stammered, "I mean unless there's a special police hospital or something I -uh….nevermind." He dropped Grimmjow's wrist quickly and retreated into his blanket.  
Grimmjow gave a rare warm smile and accepted the offer. "Yeah that'd be nice actually. Probably wouldn't have bothered going to begin with to be honest." He watched as Ichigo crawled out of bed, dragging the blanket with him, and followed him to the other room.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 **[A.N. I'm so sorry friends, I completely forgot about updating my story. I got sick a week and a half ago and I'm barely feeling decent enough to start writing again. Thank you so much for the reviews, you'll just have to wait and see for what is going to happen. I have some things planned ;) I'll try and start updating weekly if time permits!]**

Ichigo cursed his current predicament as he sat curled up on Grimmjow's couch, averting his eyes when the other man grunted again, trying not to trace the rippling muscles as Grimmjow went through another set of pushups.  
"Don't you have anything to do?", Grimmjow breathed as he rolled over and started his sit-ups, quirking an eyebrow when Ichigo scowled. "You could probably join me, you know."

Ichigo scowled and fought down the blush as other things came to mind, other _naughty things_. "No, I just recently graduated and there haven't been any prospective job opportunities. Not much I can do for now to be honest, but I saved up quite a bit of money in college so I can deal with it. Hey, shouldn't you be taking it easy on your shoulder?" He glanced at Grimmjow's bandaged shoulder with a practiced eye. "It could tear back open if you put too much pressure on it."  
Grimmjow shrugged as he sat up and stretched. "Nah, it's already scabbing, I'll be fine. Besides, I have a live-in doctor to take care of it." He winked and barked a laugh as Ichigo blushed and scowled. "You hungry? Last night was pretty rough, it'd be good to get something in that stomach of yours." Ichigo opened his mouth to reply but flushed an even darker red when his stomach gurgled in response. "Hah! Well there's my answer. Sit tight, I'll go cook eggs or something." He got up and sauntered to the kitchen area, back muscles rippling as he continued to stretch.

With a sigh, Ichigo leaned his head back on the couch and covered his eyes with an arm. His apartment was a mess and he couldn't handle being in there without the threat of a panic attack after what had happened last night. He was grateful for Grimmjow's offer to let him stay at his place in the meantime but it was also frustrating because the other man had no qualms about being half naked even in the presence of other people. He scowled as his mind wandered, wondering how comfortable he was around other people like that woman Neliel. He wrapped himself up further in the blanket Grimmjow had let him borrow and tried not to think about how it smelled like the other man and began to doze off.

* * *

Grimmjow hummed quietly as he cooked, mindful to keep the egg from dripping as he made french toast. He let his hands go to autopilot as he let his mind wander. He knew what people thought of him. A lone predator who would prowl and leave one night stands and broken hearts in his wake but that was far from the truth. In reality, Grimmjow loved the chase but he seldom settled down. In all of his life, he had only been in one relationship. He liked being alone. It was why he'd gotten a flat by himself in the first place, but for some reason Ichigo had broken through the defense walls around himself. To put it bluntly, he was obsessed with the redhead. It wasn't love, that's for sure, but there was definitely a strong feeling that would blossom if he continued this path. Grimmjow snarled at his internal thoughts and went back to the task at hand, yelping when he flipped the food too aggressively, splashing his bare chest with oil.

In the other room Ichigo stirred when he heard a yelp from the other side of the room, jolting fully awake at the banging at the door. He fumbled with the blanket and got up, looking in Grimmjow's direction. "Grimm, are you expecting someone?"

Grimmjow grunted and shrugged in response, too focused on something else to answer. Ichigo walked to the door and looked through the peephole, opening it when he saw Rukia waiting outside impatiently. When he turned the doorknob and pulled it, Rukia shoved it open and burst in, calling out for Ichigo. "Ichi! I heard there was a break in last night are you okay, did something happen-". She paused when she noticed the bluehaired man staring owlishly at the ground next to her from his kitchen area, noting the concerned expression and following it to notice Ichigo sprawled on the ground clutching his head. "What are you doing down there, Ichi?"

He frowned up at her and spat out, "I was opening the door and you hit me with it, you witch!" She stifled a laugh as she helped him up, then socked him hard in the stomach.  
"You IDIOT, I heard from nii-sama that the police had been called and that there was an incident and I was worried that you had been murdered or something but here you are completely FINE and at Grimmjow's place? What's going on?!" She glared up at him and then at Grimmjow.  
Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck nervously, glancing at Grimmjow. "Look Rukia, I'm sorry I didn't call you last night but it was really crazy. It's not like calling you was the first thing that came to mind you know?" He breathed a sigh and continued, "look, I'll tell you what happened last night but can we at least sit down first? I'm feeling a little dizzy after you basically pummeled me with the door." He lead her to the islands, giving Grimmjow a small smile when he handed him an ice pack. Rukia narrowed her eyes a little as she watched the exchange but kept her mouth closed. She could ask Ichigo about it later when they were alone, waiting as Ichigo mentally prepared himself to tell her what had happened.


	7. Chapter 7

**[A.N.: Thank you for the reviews, they fuel my trashy heart! I'm hitting a little writers' block hence the short chapter but I'm trying my best to power through. All this GrimmIchi is making me want to cosplay Ichigo haha! Please leave a review and thanks for reading. ]**

Chapter 7

Rukia sat on the bar stool watching Ichigo and Grimmjow bicker as she sipped her water processing what Ichigo had told her. She was aware of how shitty Shuuhei had been but she hadn't expected him to be _this_ bad. She frowned as she remembered that the apartments were a closed gate community, meaning that without a key or prior permission, it would have been impossible to enter the building.  
"Hey can you stop bickering like a married couple? I just thought of something weird! How did Shuuhei get in in the first place?" Rukia tapped the counter impatiently as the two men scowled at her.

Grimmjow scratched his head as he answered, "Obviously, he got in through the door." He winked and yelped when Ichigo slapped his arm. "Oy oy, don't bite the hand that feeds you! I don't know how he got in but I sent the security footage to my partner to review. Yoruichi said she'd get back to me by the end of the day"

Ichigo and Rukia both cocked their heads at the mention of Yoruichi. Grimmjow didn't miss this and snorted as his mind conjured up the image of small puppies tilting their heads side to side. "Yoruichi's my partner and my senior. We go on patrol together. Speaking of which, she's your aunt right?" He turned his head to face Ichigo. "She was really worried about you when she came over last night. Knowing her she's probably-"  
Ichigo interrupted him, "probably on her way over right now." He quickly scarfed down the rest of his food in anticipation and dashed to put the dishes in the sink. "Grimmjow, thanks for the food, it was really good. I'm going to go out for a bit so I don't have to see my aunt hahah-". Grimmjow stared as Ichigo nervously tittered and dashed to find his things, freezing when a knock came from the door. "Shit shit shit!" He ran for the bathroom but was grabbed by Grimmjow.  
"You okay there? It's just Yoruichi, she's not that bad….I mean she is a crazy bitch but-", he stopped when the door slammed open.  
"Did you say something?" Yoruichi grinned. "Ohh my precious nephew! Glad you're doing okay! What are you doing in the clutches of this loser though? I could totally find someone better for you if you wanted, like Hirako or Nova or someone, I dunno, but anyone other than big ole' Grimmkitty here." She yanked him out of Grimmjow's grip and pressed his face against her chest, laughing when he screeched and flailed, trying to get out of her grasp. She let go and her face quickly became serious. "Grimmjow, I reviewed the tapes and found something interesting. Rukia, Ichi, why don't you guys go grab some snacks or something? The adults are going to have a little conversation." She laughed when Grimmjow scowled and protested that he wasn't old, dismissing his comment with a halfhearted flap of her hand.  
Ichigo scowled. "Yoruichi, wouldn't it be better if we stayed? I'm not a kid anymore and I want to know what's happening. If it's not safe then I have a right to know, don't I?" He stared unwaveringly at Yoruichi until she sighed and gave in.  
"All right, but only because you're my precious little Berry." She booted Grimmjow off his chair and took his spot then continued, "So I can't show you the footage for now because it's police evidence but on the tape, someone had let him in. I would say it was just coincidence but they had walked to the door together and the other person swiped Shuuhei in, slipped him something, then left. I couldn't make out who it was because they were pretty covered up but it looked like they were possibly female due to the frame and height. I can't be sure though. Irritatingly, the keycards here work like hotel keycards so there's no way of tracking or identifying which card was swiped so it's going to be hard to figure this out." She rubbed her temple as she looked at Ichigo. "Do you have any ideas on who it could have been?" she sighed when he shook his head negative. "Welp, I'm still on duty so I'll be heading back but I just wanted to stop by to check up on you and Grimm and to see if you had anything to contribute. Grimm, the chief says you're on paid leave for the week so you can heal up. He still wants you to do paperwork though. Take care!" She winked and got up to leave, hugging Rukia and Ichigo and exiting through the door.  
"So, Grimmkitty?"  
Grimmjow merely responded with a childish scowl.


	8. Chapter 8

**[A.N.: I'm BACK! My life has been pretty hectic with commissions, schoolwork, and other things but I finally found the time to update. I'll be posting another chapter sometime by the end of this week to make up for the lack of updates! ]**

Chapter 8

At the station, Shuuhei scowled as he woke up in the holding cell. He clutched his head as it throbbed and slowly sat up. 'Fuck', he thought. 'What did I do this time?'. He wasn't new to being arrested as he was involved in shady dealings, but this was different. He had no recollection of what had happened the night before _at all_ and even worse, there was a fierce-looking woman glaring daggers at him. 'Like a cat', he thought offhandedly.  
"Could I have some water?", Shuuhei croaked, expecting the woman to hand him water, but instead she narrowed her eyes even more and walked away. He scowled and leaned against the wall, deciding it wasn't worth the trouble to shout after her. He assumed that she had probably sent someone else over when he heard footsteps coming toward the holding area so he shouted, "Hey man, I don't know what I did but what does a guy need to do to get some water around here? I didn't do anything-". Shuuhei stiffened as the person came into view, blanching when he was addressed by name.

* * *

Ichigo glared into his coffee at the local coffee shop. It wasn't as good as Orihime's cafe but after moving, it was too far to conveniently stop by. He picked at his apple pastry and tried to look anywhere but straight ahead. From his seat, he could see Grimmjow grinning at the attractive barista. He mashed the keys on his laptop with more force than necessary when he heard the barista propose in a silky tenor voice that he should 'call him sometime', missing the rejection Grimmjow gave in return. Grimmjow sauntered over to the table that Ichigo sat at, leaning over and wrapping his arm around his shoulders.

"So, what are you doin'? You know I didn't bring you here just so you could ignore me for a hunk of metal." Ichigo tried not to blush as the other man's breath blew on his neck.  
"I'm working on a project for my friend. She's holding an event at her store soon and she wanted me to design a flyer. It's pretty simple stuff but I'm getting paid for it."  
Grimmjow scratched his head and moved over to the vacant chair, deciding that he'd let Ichigo do his thing. He wasn't very technologically literate and he wasn't the type to pretend he knew things just to feed an inflated ego. The blue-haired man curled his fingers around his tea and gazed at Ichigo, watching as the other man worked, taking occasional sips from his drink.

Grimmjow sighed inwardly as he walked alongside Ichigo. They had opted to go out for dinner because both men were too tired to muster up the effort to cook and surprisingly, Ichigo had opened up to him over pasta. In the few hours that had passed, Grimmjow now knew a ton of things that he would never have really stopped to care about if it were anyone else. Truth be told, he was smitten but he didn't know how to deal with it. Ichigo had been attacked not even 24 hours ago, it would be wrong to push himself onto Ichigo like that. Grimmjow ran his hands through his hair, looking up when Ichigo called his name.  
"Grimm, you ok there?" He flicked Grimmjow's furrowed brow and grinned. "You know, if you keep doing that, people are going to think you're really reaaally old."

"I'm not that old! Damn it, Ichi. I'm not even 30 yet. I shouldn't have told you about my fears." He grumbled but failed to hide his amusement.  
"Hey but even if you were older, you'd still be pretty hot." Ichigo stated before he realized what he had said, then started stammering, "I mean, uhh, I mean, that's what Rukia says. She said that, not me!" At this point he was so red Grimmjow was acutely afraid that he'd pass out from lack of blood flow. "Forget it! Pretend I didn't say anything!" Ichigo spun around and began marching in the direction back to the apartments. Grimmjow blinked owlishly as his brain fought to catch up with what Ichigo had just said. He tucked his hands into his pockets and began walking after Ichigo, smiling to himself. He looked at his grinning reflection on the storefront window and glanced down at the display before catching up with Ichigo.


	9. Chapter 9

[AN: Hello I'm alive! This chapter is a little rushed so I might rewrite it in the future but it's integral to move the plot along.]

The police station was in a state of chaos when the visiting commander and his captain stepped foot inside. Shinji sucked his teeth in irritation when a worker ran past him, nearly tripping over the petite man as he dashed away without apologizing. He frowned at the disarray as the Shinigami district branch had the reputation of being the most disciplined branch in the country. Exchanging a glance with Hiyori, they marched to the chief's office and knocked.  
"Welcome, welcome. I hope your trip here was pleasant," Urahara smiled and flicked open his handfan. "I apologize for the mess but as you know, we have some bad news. It seems that the Hollows have risen back from the dead. We received a warning last night." Hiyori snorted and took a seat, propping her feet on his desk.  
"How do you know it's them though? We've had quite a few copycat delinquents copy them, what makes this any different from the usual?" Urahara snapped his fan shut as he responded and slid a manila folder across the desk to them.

"Because, my dear, they've struck again and they've left their calling card." Shinji exhaled sharply at the photo pinned to the file. The man in the photo was clearly dead if the body tag was any indication. What shocked them however wasn't the fact that the man was dead but the fact that his eyes were pure black. On his neck, a ring of blisters surrounded the injection site of whatever drug had been injected. There was no room for denying that the Hollows had struck. Shinji glanced at Hiyori and rested his hand on her shoulder, squeezing reassuringly.  
"Well, I assume you have a plan then Kisuke? Tell us everything, I'll call my crew." Kisuke nodded.

* * *

Byakuya pounded on the door for the 3rd time that morning, checking his phone in frustration. He'd been out of the province on a business trip so he was unable to rush back when he got the news about the break-in. He wasn't given any details while he was away due to bad signal so his messages wouldn't go through either. When he got back the night before he immediately called Ichigo to check up on him but it went to voicemail every time so he left a message and a text just for good measure then called up Rukia to get information. She had given Byakuya a summary of what happened but told him to ask Ichigo himself and that he was shacking up with a certain blue-haired man. Being the overprotective older brother that he was, Byakuya immediately went into protective mode and decided that he would check up on Ichigo. He raised his arm to knock again, catching himself when the door opened to reveal a grumpy Grimmjow.  
"Can I help you? I already paid my bills and I assume this isn't a house call." Grimmjow trailed off as Byakuya's face contorted. "Oi oi I didn't invite you in, the fuck Kuchiki!" Grimmjow shouted as Byakuya pushed Grimmjow aside and strode in.  
"Where's Ichigo? My sister told me he was staying at your place." He glanced furtively and narrowed his eyes at Grimmjow, "Is he alright? I called several times last night and he didn't respond to his phone." Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow. In the few years he had known Byakuya, he'd never seen him so frazzled.  
"Uhh he's sleeping on the couch. We went out last night and his phone ran out of battery so I guess he forgot to charge it when we got back?" Byakuya's face visibly relaxed and he exhaled slowly. "Since you're here, do you want a cup of tea or something? I'm assuming you're here to see him because of the incident. I was the one who responded to the call so I can bring you up to date with what I know." Byakuya nodded from his position by the couch, tucking the blankets around Ichigo and petting his hair once.

"Tell me everything." Grimmjow nodded.


End file.
